Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 1.djvu/106

Rh "The principal food of the Khamtis consists of rice and vegetables, but meat, when procurable, is never refused. They also enjoy spirituous liquors, and their creed (Boodhism) seems to have imbued them with few prejudices debarring them from the unrestrained indulgence of their natural inclinations."

They are capable of practising agriculture with eminent success, as has been proved by locating small colonies of them in the Assam valley. But, even there, they live most secludedly from then- neighbours, retaining then own habits and customs, and it will take long to amalgamate them with the Assamese population. We cannot confidently anticipate that any considerable portion of them will adopt peaceable, agricultural, industrious habits in the present generation, addicted as they are to opium and habitual indolence, " and preferring the precarious gain derivable from bartering ivory, gold, and impure silver, to the drudgery of regular industry."

Their chiefs, however, as above remarked, attain considerable proficiency in the manufacture of metal articles. "It is a singular custom amongst the Khamtis," says Lieutenant Wilcox, " that the principal amusement of then chiefs is working in metals, in which practice renders them infinitely more skilful than the lower classes, who, perhaps, cannot spare much time from their labours in the field. Amongst the specimens shown us of their art we saw a well-fashioned musket lock. Another was a massive pipe-bowl of brass, which had griffins for supporters, very boldly designed. Both of these were executed by the Bura Raja's brother. Their ordinary silver pipes are of very neat workmanship. They were very curious about any little mechanical apparatus that we had with us, and astonishingly apt in understanding it. At their desire, I opened the lock of my sextant box, and chew for them figures of its various parts, from which they assured me they should be able to imitate it. I also opened and explained to them the uses and connexion of the separate pieces of a musical snuff-box, which I intended for a present to the Raja. They were highly delighted with it, but they expressed their fear that they scarcely understood it well enough, upon so hasty an explanation and inspection, to enable them, in my absence, to detect the cause of derangement, should it get out of order."